Predictive factors of substance misuse and abuse in South Korean adolescents: a secondary data analysis of the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the general characteristics and health behaviors of students with non-therapeutic substance use.

Methods: This secondary data analysis used data from the 17th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (2021). Analyses of the 54,848 adolescents used descriptive statistics, the Rao-Scott χ2 test, and logistic regression.

Results: The risk factors for substance use among students were anxiety, loneliness, living separately from family, suicidal ideation, e-cigarette use, and high stress.

Conclusion: The findings help identify the risk factors for non-therapeutic drug use among adolescents. Since South Korea does not have a drug prevention program for its adolescent population, an educational plan based on these findings could help prevent adolescent substance abuse.